


Welcome To Midtown

by arachnapete



Series: Carry On, My Friend. [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 22:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17496440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arachnapete/pseuds/arachnapete
Summary: “Ned, this is Harley. My….brooooo…..boooother figure. My bother figure.”Harley rose an eyebrow at the teen. “Your bother figure now? I could have sworn you were going to say-”“Okay! That’s enough! Alright Ned, I gotta go pick up our schedules. Text me a pic of yours once you get it. Goodbye!” Peter cut the conversation short and pulled Harley’s hand towards the office.They finally reached the long line of students when Harley spoke up, “You know, if it makes you feel any better, your contact name in my phone is baby bro.”“Shut the fuck up asshole. I’m only six months younger than you.”***“Pete? Hello! Earth to Peter!” Harley was snapping his fingers in front of his face. Peter’s fearful eyes met Harley’s, “We need to get everyone out, now.”Harley took a step back, “What? Why?”Two loud bangs and a scream were enough to answer Harley’s question.





	Welcome To Midtown

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for all the support on Intertwined! I hope the response is just as positive on this fic :)  
> Tumblr: spideyyverse  
> TRIGGER WARNING: School Shooting

It had been three months since the war against Thanos. Two since the world learned how to readjust to their normal routines. One since Harley officially moved into the Avengers Tower. As all things go, work and school picked up meaning Harley Keener was now an official student of Midtown School of Science and Technology.

Sure, maybe Tony did offer to send him up to a private school closer to the tower, but Harley and Peter said otherwise. By said, they actually meant laughed. _They laughed in the face of Tony Stark_. ( _You can try to send me to…what’s the place called? –Manhattan Tech? —Yeah, that place. Look I appreciate it and all but Parker and I are a package deal, two-for-one…uh, what’s that God-awful nickname you gave us Parker? –Superhero buddies? —Yeah yeah that. Listen I understand you think it would be easier, but you don’t have all the facts. –Which are? —I love him. –Awe, Harles I love you too! —Shut the fuck up Parker, I can’t stand you)._

It was beyond Tony how two very separate personalities became an unstoppable duo, but he really couldn’t complain. The bond that emerged within the time span of only three months baffled him. Because within three months, they became more than best friends…they became brothers. It was scary how alike they were but yet so different. It was some freaky twilight zone shit that Tony could not explain.

So, here they were, the night before school began again and somehow the dynamic duo and their parental figures were standing in the middle of Target trying to figure out what supplies to get.

“Do you think Mr. Stark has ever stepped foot in a Target before tonight?” Peter leaned over to his aunt from his side of the shopping cart.

May smiled and shook her head, “Oh, not a chance. Say, how long do you give him until he breaks and asks for help?”

“Another three minutes.”

“Hey Parker! Do New York teachers appreciate good ol’ apples on the first day back?” Harley came up from behind them, a bag of apples in his hand.

Peter snorted, “You’re gonna have to try harder than that to kiss ass Keener.”

“Go figure.”

Peter resumed to watching Tony compare prices of pens, “I’m sorry? _Three pens_ for the price of _Thirteen_? What in the name of capitalism is this?” May responded with a rather amused face, “You’re a billionaire.”

Tony ignored her, hysteria still written all over his face. “Oh lordy, three packs of pens for the price of ten? Count me in!”

Harley, Peter, and May tilted their heads in unison, “You’re a billionaire.” Tony whipped around to face them, “I may be a billionaire, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good deal. Look, I just got you boys _three_ packs of pens for the price of _ten_. You’re welcome.”

Two shopping carts and an hour later, the four made their way to self-checkout. ( _Tony, the boys don’t need anymore clothes. –May, how else will they express their personalities? –Being themselves? — Through their fashion sense thank you very much.)_ Alright, so maybe Tony took this whole pseudo father thing a little too far, but he was excited. Because, well, these damn kids made it easier to get through life since the war. They made it easier to not dwell on the aftermath. They made it easier to not drink. They made life easier.

If Harley and Peter were the dynamic duo, then May and Tony were the ultimate duo. They had this unspoken agreement of co-parenting the teens; May gave Tony the run down of parenting while Tony sat and wrote notes. (Seriously, he has a whole notebook and FRIDAY was sure to save a file of her own). After the whole Thanos fiasco—dubbed as the _Endgame_ —Tony offered the Parkers their own floor to which they graciously agreed, but also simultaneously decided they still wanted to keep their Queens apartment. Upon discovering the financial struggles that the Parkers endured, Tony was quick to help. ( _With all due respect Stark, we’re not a charity case. –No, you’re not. But this is my way of thanking you for letting your nephew into my life. Also, the kid told me how much you’ve always wanted to go back to school to finish your MD, so please let me help you. You deserve this May and think about it! You already have a job offer at the med bay with Dr. Cho. – I’m only saying yes because it means you need to refer to me as Doctor Parker. – Kinky)._

The Parkers decided to stay at the tower for the night in order to be ready for the big day tomorrow. The car trip home was a rather silent—comfortable—but silent one until Harley spoke up, “Hey Parker, hypothetically speaking, would you be considered a murder for killing your kind?”

“My what now?”

“Well, spiders. Like, obviously we’re all murders for killing bugs at some point. But you’re killing your people, your family, your brothers, your fellow comrades.”

“Please don’t refer to spiders as my brothers.” Peter groaned. “And no, they can choke for all I care.”

Harley rose an eyebrow, “Peter, you dress as a spider vigilante for a living.”

“And you dress as a Campbell soup vigilante for a living.”

“You’re dead Parker.”

Needless to say, Harley unbuckled his seatbelt then proceeded to strangle Peter from the backseat of the car. However, superpowers and all, Peter webbed him to the ceiling of the car. Tony and May were most definitely not amused.

“Boys!” Tony snapped.

Harley continued to claw at Peter.

“Boys!” Tony snapped just a little louder.

Peter webbed Harleys mouth shut.

“BOYS!” May yelled.

They stopped.

They turned to each other with a glare, “He started it!” Harley’s eyes went comically wide. He yelled something but the webbing on his mouth kept him from doing so. Though he definitely made the “nu-uh!” noise somewhere in his whole debacle to which Peter replied with the “yeah-huh!”.

Tony closed his eyes as the automatic driving system took over and May bit back a laugh, “Signore, impediscimi di lanciare questi due bambini fuori dalla finestra!” May let out a loud laugh. She was reminded of the times when Peter and Ned were younger—no older than eight, arguing the exact same while Ben tried to talk them both down.

“Boys if you don’t stop acting like you’re in the third grade, you can both say goodbye to lab and suit time for a week.” She firmly stated. No ifs or buts were apart of any deals that May sets her mind to because rule one: don’t test May Parker.

“Sorry May.” They both sheepishly muttered. (Well one did anyway, the other was just a muffle).

The rest of the car trip was silent once again; Peter of course fell sleep, head laying against the window, one earbud in. Harley somehow managed to fall asleep as well despite being webbed to the ceiling. May smiled fondly at both boys, Tony subtly tried to hid his. “Ah the bittersweet sound of silence.”

May faced the billionaire, “Don’t get used to it. They’re teenagers, silence is foreign.”

“I can’t believe this is our life now. Well, my life at least. You’re used to this whole thing by now I’m sure. But, look at me May, I’m raising two teenage boys after a life of-”

“War. I know Tony. I understand it’s been three months since everything ended but, you look more tired than ever. Don’t think Pepper hasn’t told me your constant second guessing about all of this. Your father was an asshole, yes, but you also had a mother Tony. Stop thinking you’re going to be like your dad, because all that good in you? Your mom taught you that. Please Tony, all I ask is that you rest. You don’t need to fight anymore.”

Tony shook his head, turning back to the now detached Harley who had his head resting on Peter’s lap, “Rest? Maybe, sure. I can probably manage that. But, fighting? I’m not…I don’t think I can. I lost Peter once and if I ever lost both of them, I don’t…I don’t know May. I don’t know.”

May smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I didn’t like you at first Stark. But I know how much that internship meant to Peter…but then…but then, I learned it wasn’t an internship. And God, I wanted to be mad. I wanted to be angry and tell Peter he couldn’t be Spider-Man. I couldn’t lose him the same way I lost Ben, I couldn’t Tony. But I saw the footage of every time you were there for Peter. I didn’t have it in me to hate you, I needed to thank you for everything you done for him.”

The car came to a stop.

“May-”

She held a hand up. “Lets get the boys ready for tomorrow.”

Before stepping out of the car, she turned to Tony, “And for what it’s worth, those boys love you Stark. Don’t forget that.” She opened the door to the backseat and slowly shook Peter awake. “C’mon baby, you still need to prep your bag for tomorrow.”

Tony opened the other door and shook Harley gently, “Hey bud, get up. We’re home.”

“Five m’re min’ts please.”

Tony smiled, “No can-do kiddo. Up you go, that’s right. Prep your bag and take a shower first then you can sleep.”

“Food?” Peter muttered, staring at Tony with sleepy eyes.

“Pep ordered Thai”

A grin stretched on Peter’s face, “I larb her.”

Everyone took bags from the trunk then set off to the penthouse. By the time they reached their destination, the glorious smell that was Thai food filled the room. Tony greeted Pepper with a kiss and everyone sat in their respective seats. Dinner was more peaceful than not—Pepper shared her day of CEO duties meanwhile Harley and Peter recalled their events of that night. After dinner, the adults made sure the boys were ready for the next day.

It was nothing new to Peter, this would be his third year of high school. He had his friends waiting for him, decathlon would begin in three weeks, and really, he was just getting ready to be back in the swing of things. (pun intended).

Harley, however, had a whole new life to adjust to. He knew Midtown was going to be nothing like piss-hole-Rose Hill high. At least, he and Peter were in the same grade, but he knew he couldn’t depend on the boy for everything. Adjusting to the prestigious school terrified Harley; he would not only have to adjust academically but socially as well. He was from the South; his accent gave in sometimes—no matter how hard he tried. Now, don’t get Harley wrong, he was most definitely a hard ass. He was exactly like Tony in that sense, it’s not that he couldn’t convey his emotions, he just didn’t know how to. So, he was going to have to learn himself.

***

At promptly 6:35 AM, FRIDAY blasted an alarm through each of the boy’s room. Harley groaned, flipping to the opposite of his bed and placing a pillow over his head. On the floor above, a large thump could be heard which meant that Peter was sleeping on his make-shift web bed and fell off.

“Wakey-wakey kiddies! It’s time for escuela!” Tony over joyously shouted.

“Go away!” Harley shouted.

“Boss, Young sir would like me to inform you, and I quote, “Why has God forsaken me? I would rather be back in the soul stone than go back to that hell-filled place.””

Tony brought his arms around him, pretending to be cold, “Ah, yes, the frigid wind of teen rebellion.”

The mechanic walked over Harley’s bed and pulled him out from his legs. “Breakfast will be ready in fifteen. You’re lucky May practiced her cooking these past months or else you’d be eating char filled pancakes. Up and at em’ Harles! You got a big day ahead of you!”

He walked out of the room, leaving Harley to contemplate life. “FRIDAY?”

“Yes?”

“Do I need a degree to become a clothing hanger?”

“No.”

“Do I really need to do anything in life?”

“You don’t need to do anything in life except breathe Harley.”

***

Luckily Peter wasn’t too much of a hassle to drag out of bed. He made his way down to the common kitchen where he was greeted by some of the Avengers. Sam perked his head up from his food, “Well, well, well, look at what the cat dragged in.”

“Be nice.” Natasha retorted, handing Peter his food.

Peter offered Nat a smile then wished May a good-morning. “Nice to see you too Sam, did you get a good night’s rest last night? I couldn’t tell over your rendition of _Colors of the Wind_ at two a.m.?” His genuine smile faltered into a sickly sweet one.

“THAT WAS YOU?” Bucky shouted from his seat.

“That’s my boy.” May smirked, high-fiving Peter along her way to passing Harley his own food.

“Wait a damn minute” Tony stomped into the kitchen and towards Peter. “So, you have absolutely no problem with addressing these dimwits by their first names but do when it comes to me?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Peter shrugged, popping bacon into his mouth.

“You little-” Tony began but May cut him off by clapping her hands, “Boys finish your food in the next five minutes, Happy is waiting for you downstairs.”

The teens inhaled their food, said their goodbyes to the Avengers. “Bye! Good luck today!” May hugged them both and placed a kissed on their heads.

“You two got your suits?” Tony asked giving them a pointed look. Peter waved his mask in response and Harley flicked his wrist where the nanotech was perfectly placed in his watch.

“Lunch?”

They raised their lunch bags.

“Money?”

Both boys looked at each other and sheepishly back at Tony. Tony only smirked in response. “Figured. Here, go crazy.” He casually pulled fifty dollars each from his wallet and handed it to each teen.

“Cool. Thanks dad.” Harley smiled and walked off, but immediately stopped dead in his tracks. “-er, did I say dad? Silly me! I meant dawg! Thanks dawg!”

“No, you totally just called Mr. Stark dad!” Peter shouted.

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Yeah? Well at least I don’t call him dad when he’s not around.” Harley retaliated.

Peter gasped, “That was one time! Let it go Harley!”

Both boys completely ignored Tony’s presence as they entered the elevator and disappeared. May looked over at the pale-faced Tony. “Oh my God! Tony are you crying?”

“What? No? I just have allergies okay?”

May held back her laugh, “Do you wanna talk to them later about it?”

Silence.

“Over a game of…catch?”

“I would like that.” He whispered.

***

The boys said their goodbyes to Happy who grunted in response. They strode through the main doors of the school, Peter had an arm thrown over Harley’s shoulders. “Welcome to Midtown high!”

“Peter!” A voiced shouted. The voice came running in full force and tackled Peter to the ground.

A tan-skinned Asian boy was hugging Peter endlessly. “Hey Ned!” Peter laughed.

“How’s everything? You know since…” This ‘Ned’ character twiddled with his thumbs, looking at Peter with sad eyes.

“Stop blaming yourself Ned. There was nothing you could have done to keep me from…”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Peter shoved his shoulder playfully, “Hey, I got the specks on the Ironspider suit”

Ned’s eyes went wide, “Does this mean?”

“I need my guy in the chair.”

Harley seriously felt out of place. He wasn’t sure if he should remind Peter of his existence or slip-away and find the office on his own. Ned, however, interrupted his thoughts. “Oh my God. I…uh…we were just talking about a video game we play! Right Peter?”

Harley bit his lip, keeping himself from laughing. “No…no totally…I believe you. I mean, I think I know what video game it is! Yeah, yeah. I have this suit as well. Named it Ironlad and all.”

“You’re…you’re…” Poor Ned couldn’t keep it together. Harley could have sworn if it wasn’t for Peter snapping Ned out of it, the poor kid would have fainted.

“The one and only.” Harley smiled, letting the nanotech form around his hand. Though, he quickly retracted the armor before anyone could see.

Peter laughed a bit. “Right, sorry-sorry for no introductions. Harley, this is Ned, my best friend since basically diapers.” Ned smiled at the other boy.

“Ned, this is Harley. My….brooooo…..boooother figure. My bother figure.”

Harley rose an eyebrow at the teen. “Your bother figure now? I could have sworn you were going to say-”

“Okay! That’s enough! Alright Ned, I gotta go pick up our schedules. Text me a pic of yours once you get it. Goodbye!” Peter cut the conversation short and pulled Harley’s hand towards the office.

They finally reached the long line of students when Harley spoke up, “You know, if it makes you feel any better, your contact name in my phone is baby bro.”

“Shut the fuck up asshole. I’m only six months younger than you.”

“Still my baby brother!” Harley gushed, pinching Peter’s cheek.

Peter opened his mouth to fire back when a curly-haired girl made her way over to the duo, “Sup loser.”

“He…hey MJ” Peter fumbled.

Oh.

_Oh, Petey’s got a crush._

Harley was going to have an absolute field day.

“Hm, you must be Harley.”

“You’re not wrong.”

Harley tilted his slightly as his eyes adverted from now-a-complete-utter-mess-Peter-Parker to the snarky girl. “Say, how do you know my name?”

“Peter talked about you in our group chat. Called you his brother and everything.”

Harley whipped around, “HA! KNEW IT!”

Peter shut his eyes and tried to mask his face of embarrassment. “I would rather get hit by a car.”

Harley smiled triumphantly at his newly-found sibling. Though, he would be lying if he said that the thought of Peter becoming his new brother didn’t make him feel warm and soft on the inside.

It was after this thought that Harley stared into the air like he was in The Office.

“What now?”

“I’m feeling something…weird.”

“Oh? What is it? Do you need me to call Mr. Stark or May?”

“No, no. This is something different…”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Emotions.”

***

Overall, the first half of the day was going rather well. Luckily, Peter and Harley had schedules that reflected the other—obviously being the work of Tony Stark. Even better, Ned was some of their classes as well since he was taking all AP’s as well. It wasn’t until fourth period AP Lang that Harley would abuse his big brother title. You see, not only did the teacher allow the students to chose their seats for the rest of the year, but both Ned _and_ MJ happened to be in the class as well.

“So, where do you wanna sit?” Peter turned to Harley.

“Oh, well. I was actually thinking about sitting with my new bestie.” Harley smiled.

Peter took a step back, “Oh?”

“Yup. Hey Ned!” Harley called out. Ned happily made his over “Hey Harley! What’s up?”

Peter gave the boy a _what the fuck are you doing_ face as he linked his arm around Ned’s. Harley proceeded to grab Peter’s, “Oh you’re right. I gotta look out for my baby bro somehow! Silly me! Oh would you look at that? There’s an empty table behind MJ! Oh my…even better! An empty seat next to her as well!”

“Harley!” Peter hissed as they approached the girl who was reading quietly.

“Hey MJ!” Harley smiled.

“Nerd.”

“Great seeing you as well. Listen, I couldn’t help but notice the empty seats around you. Well, I actually wanted to sit next to Ned this period. New friends and all. I was thinking Peter could sit next to you? You two seem to get along quite swell.”

If Harley happened to notice the small smile that creeped up on MJ’s face, he didn’t say anything. She moved her bag from the vacant seat, “Um yeah, yeah of course. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be away from the other two stooges, right Peter?”

Peter clumsily made his way over to the unoccupied chair, “Yeah…yeah! Wouldn’t…want…to…ha…ha!”

Harley mentally patted himself on the back. Ned realized what was going on and high-fived Harley when they sat down at the desk behind the two oblivious nerds. “Dude!” Ned whispered. “I’ve been trying to get them to at least sit together for ages!”

Harley laughed a bit. “Call it Keener magic.”

A paper was launched at Harley.

_I have enhanced hearing fucker. I’m telling dad AND May on you._

_P.S No one is going to call it Keener magic. This is Grade A asshole-ary at its finest._

“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth Parker?”

Peter slowly turned, “I’m an orphan Harley.”

“Tough shit. No need to be a pussy about it.”

“Hey, wait a minute.” Ned piped up. “Harley called Michelle _MJ_ , I thought your friends were only allowed to call you MJ?”

It was now MJ’s turn to spin around, “Something tells me I’m going to be forced to be his friend. Also, he has the _gives-zero-fucks_ personality. I tolerate those people.”

***

Well, everything _was_ going fine for the first half of the day.

Then, lunchtime happened.

All hell broke loose.

Now labeled the “core-four”—They all sat at the lunch table, sharing stories of their past three months. (Some _minor_ details were left out). It was for the first time that day that Harley felt like he truly belonged. Sure, there were things that he was still getting used to, but he felt a lot less lonely. It was nice; Peter was a lot less tense since fourth period, Ned was fucking hilarious, and MJ even participated in their conversation letting her guard down just a little bit.

It was nice until he showed up.

“Hey Penis!” A voice screamed from across the cafeteria.

“Here we go.” Peter whispered under his breath, fist clenching just a little bit. The voice made its way over to Peter, followed by what Harley assumed to be his goons. “Hey Penis! We got you a present!” This asshole—that Harley was absolutely going to get the name of—proceeded to pour the remains of his lunch over Peter. Then pushing him out of his seat.

And boy, was Harley seeing red.

“What the hell is wrong with you Flash?” Ned snapped, immediately helping Peter.

 _Flash_ only laughed in response. From the corner of his eye, Harley could see MJ’s knuckles turn white from clenching her book too hard. “You’re off the fucking team _Eugene_.” She sneered.

He scoffed, “Oh please. You need me. My dad funds the team Michelle.”

MJ stood silent, only letting her glare burn a hole through this Flash/Eugene dude.

“Not anymore.” Harley muttered.

Flash raised an eyebrow, “And who the fuck might you be?”

Harley got up, using his height much to his advantage. “Harley Keener. Nice to meet you.”

“A hill billy? That’s a new one.”

“A hill billy with enough money to fund the decathlon team actually.”

Flash narrowed his eyes, he tried to mask his intimidation of the height difference by taking a step forward. “I don’t know who you think you are, but listen here red neck, don’t test me. You’ll regret it.”

Harley didn’t let his smile falter, “Wanna know how we treat bullies down south?” –One step forward— “We like to use a piñata for a cricket” –another step.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Flash glared.

“This.” Harley pulled out the non-lethal weapon Tony gave him all those years ago and pointed it at Flash, he pressed the button and the light instantly blinded him.

“What the fuck!” He yelled.

He held onto his eyes, trying to regain his vision, but Harley only shoved him to the ground. “If I ever see you even breathe near _my brother_ or God, so help me, even think about bullying someone else, you are going to get something far worse than a little light to the face. _Don’t test me Eugene_.” The venom in Harley’s voice was enough for Flash to scramble away.

Harley turned back to the trio. He took a deep breath and grabbed Peter, leading him out of the cafeteria. The only problem here was that Harley seriously didn’t know the school. “Restroom. Where is it?”

Peter cleared his throat, “Um…down the hall, take a right.”

The pair walked in silence—and it definitely was not the comfortable silence that they endured in the car ride last night. This was tense filled, one filled with guilt and the other with anger. “Sit.” Harley pointed to the sink. Peter quietly obliged, silently wishing for the fun-snarky Harley to return.

The teen wet a paper towel and scraped the food from Peter’s hair. “How long?” He asked. His tone, stern. Peter looked anywhere but Harley. “Middle school, I think. Seventh grade.”

Harley was astounded, “Jesus Peter! And you didn’t tell anyone?” He shook his head and continued, “Scratch that. Why haven’t _you_ done anything? I know damn well your sense was telling you it was going to happen from a mile away.”

Peter looked hesitant but replied anyways, “Because Peter Parker couldn’t then, so why now? Of course, I knew it was going to happen! But, Harley! I could take a punch, a kick, a push from Flash. Some people can’t. I would rather be his punching bag if it meant he left everyone else alone.”

_DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!_

“Peter, I understand you’re trying to look out for the little guy but-“ –“Harley-”—“No, Peter let me finish. Look—”

_OUT! OUT! OUT!_

“Peter are you even listening to me? We’re gonna talk to-”

_HURRY! HURRY! HURRY!_

“Pete? Hello! Earth to Peter!” Harley was snapping his fingers in front of his face. Peter’s fearful eyes met Harley’s, “We need to get everyone out, now.”

Harley took a step back, “What? Why?”

Two loud bangs and a scream were enough to answer Harley’s question.

Without hesitation, the nanotech formed around Harley’s body. Peter practically dove into his suit. Both boys made their way out of the bathroom but Harley stopped him, “This is your first time back in the suit since…”

Peter had a cold stare. “I know.”

Harley gulped.

 _It wasn’t that he couldn’t convey emotions, he just didn’t know how to_.

“You come home, got that Parker? I didn’t fucking fight that fucking purple crayon for you to leave again. So, don’t.”

“You come home too Keener. I don’t care that your suit is bulletproof, you do a lot of stupid shit. You aren’t allowed to die dumbass.”

They both nodded at each other, they separated. “Ava? You online?” (Okay, yes, Harley named his AI after his sister. Shut up, he misses her okay? Fuck off, he’s not going to tell her).

“Of course, Harley. Your heart rate is elevated, would you like me to play your “Chill” playlist?” Ava’s voice rang through his ears.

“No, no that’s not necessary right now. Can you patch me over Karen? I also need visuals of the whole school and heat signatures of the hostiles.”

“Karen has already contacted the authorities. Pulling up heat signatures and visuals now.” Harley stayed silent, but Ava continued, “Connecting to Karen, now.”

“Spidey? Can you hear me?”

Silence.

“Loud and clear.” His voice finally rang through.

Harley continued his hunt for the hostiles. Well, this was certainly a way to take a tour of his new school. He made his way through the school, looking for anyone or anything that could be suspicious. He silently prayed that no one was hurt. Because, the world was finally learning to be normal again. Everything was finally back to normal. Things were slowly starting to piece together again. He couldn’t let this be the demise of their slow success. Everyone in the tower was finally taking a step forward again. Tony was learning to cope, May was learning to not be afraid anymore, FRIDAY wasn’t waking up Harley on the daily anymore (not that Harley minded) because Peter was having a panic attack in his room.

He couldn’t let anyone fall down that stupid dark hole anymore.

He couldn’t let himself continue to fall down this stupid dark hole anymore.

Peter crawled on the ceilings of the school, trying to stay as stealthy as possible. He made his way into the now empty cafeteria. He was trying to scope out the area when Karen interrupted his thoughts, “Peter, Ned and MJ are texting you. Would you like me to read the messages?”

“Yes please.”

“From Ned: Dude? Where are you? Please tell me you’re okay.”

“From Ned: No wait.”

“From Ned: Of course you’re okay, you’re fucking Spider-Man.”

“From Ned: But seriously, be careful okay? I can’t afford to lose my best friend again. I love you man.”

“From MJ: Peter? Where are you loser?”

“From MJ: Hey nerd. This isn’t fucking funny. Where are you?”

“From MJ: Listen loser, that bang came from the direction you left in. Text me back.”

“From MJ: Peter, I’m scared shitless right now. Where the hell are you? I swear to God Parker, if you’re dead, I’m going to bring you back from the dead then kill you myself. You aren’t allowed to die…not again. I will kick you off the team so help me.”

Peter shut his eyes. Wanting to drown out the pleas of his friends, even if the messages were being read from his AI. He hated this feeling so much. He hated the vulnerability he was feeling. Now, normally, he would be on top of things. Maybe already finding the hostiles at this point, but this was the first time in three months in which his suit was activated. The suit normally gave him a boost of confidence, but this time…this time all it gave him was the reminder that he _died_ in this suit. Technically, he also died in the Ironspider suit, but he also had this one under. He was reminded of the burden he put on Tony’s shoulders…on May’s…on Harley’s…

On Ben’s.

Harley would have immediately benched him if Peter told him the real reason why Peter zoned out. Because somewhere deep down, the moment his spidey-sense screamed danger, Peter knew somehow it was a gun. He couldn’t explain it, maybe he never will. But, this wasn’t like the normal warning he got, no this was the exact same feeling he had moments before Ben was shot and killed right in front of him.

Because, Peter heard Ben’s voice. He heard the disappointment sneering through Ben’s voice.

_How could you Peter?_

_You let me die._

_You caused your aunt pain._

_How dare you._

No, no Ben was proud of him. Of course he was. He needed to snap out of it. He just needed to breathe.

Was it just Peter? Or did he feel funny? Like his spidey-sense was supposed to warn him of something? Was the room supposed to be spinning?

Wait…wait…

Why is he bleeding? Why isn’t his healing kicking in?

Peter hit the floor. Repulsors hit the ground, were those Mr. Starks? No wait, Harley’s. Yeah, Harley.

Oh that was funny.

That’s not Harley.

It’s Uncle Ben.

_“Peter…what are you doing kiddo?”_

“Uncle Ben? I don’t feel so good.”

_“I’m sure kiddo…hang on, okay?”_

“I’m sorry Ben. I killed you.”

_“No Peter, you didn’t. You’re my favorite hero, forever and always. I love you.”_

“Love you too.”

***

Harley shot down the hostiles, knocking them out instantly. (He and Peter were huge advocates of the no-killing rule). This felt all too familiar. He felt like he was back in his living room in Tennessee, trying to rebuild the ashes of his mother and sister. Harley felt like he was going to be sick, he knew Peter still wasn’t in the right state of mind to be Spider-Man again. So here he was, carrying Peter bridal style out of the school with not one, but three gunshot wounds. Begging and screaming for help.

Another set of repulsors crash landed on the lawn of the school. “No, no…not again…not again…no not this again…” Tony’s breathing picked up. He rushed over to Harley and Peter.

“Tony…” Harley whispered.

Tony grabbed Peter from Harley’s arms and took off. Harley stood frozen in his place, not knowing whether he should follow or wait. He didn’t really know anything anymore. He didn’t realize Rhodey and the rest of the Avengers were on the scene. He didn’t notice Rhodey literally trying to shake him from his thoughts. He snapped out of it and gave Rhodey a blank stare, “Ned Leeds. Michelle Jones. Both of them. Compound. Now.”

Then he took off.

What should have been a twenty-minute flight, became a ten minute one.

***

It had been three hours and Peter was still in surgery. Bruce, Strange, and Cho were already on scene by the time a hysterical Tony arrived with a bleeding out Peter. It had been two since Natasha and Bucky beat the shit out of the hostiles who were responsible for this. It had been one since they learned the hostiles were not only from Hydra but they shot Peter with something that wasn’t a normal gun.

It explained why Peter’s healing factor wasn’t up to par. It also explained why Peter thought he was talking to uncle Ben the moment he saw Harley.

Everyone, from the Avengers to May to Peter and Harley’s friends, sat in silence.

Harley shot up from his seat, “I can’t fucking do this.”

“Harley-” May began but was cut off by Pepper shaking her head at her.

Harley aimlessly walked through the halls of the compound. It wasn’t as home-y as the tower, but it was something. He looked down, not realizing he still had Peter’s blood on his hands. He made his way over to somewhere anywhere that had a first-aid kit. He didn’t realize he entered through Peter’s lab.

He opened the kit which contained alcohol wipes. He scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed. And scrubbed.

Harley Keener was not a cry-er.

Except, he was.

He felt a small pair of hands wrap around him.

Of course, the asshole with no emotions was hugging him.

And she was crying too.

He turned towards Michelle and let himself be held by her while they both cried.

***

It would be another three hours before the trio of doctors walked out. Everyone was tired needless to say. However, the surgery was a success. May and Tony went in first, holding each other’s hands. How can any parent see their kid in this position?

“So…he’s Spider-man?” MJ quietly asked.

Ned nodded, “Yeah, he is. We figured that you knew or would eventually so he didn’t plan to keep it a secret from you for long.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Meanwhile, Peter was slowly trying to place the pieces together. As far as he was aware, the last thing that wasn’t fuzzy to him was lunchtime. It was one thing to be shot by a regular gun, but some unknown gun from Hydra? One that put a damper on his powers? That was another. Something wasn’t right and if this meant that the Avengers had to place hold on that early retirement plan of theirs, so be it.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay Underoos? I need my snot-nosed kid running around the lab and not in hospital beds.”

Peter smiled just a tiny bit while he gave a reassuring nod to his mentor/father-figure/thing person. May squeezed her nephew for the thousandth time that hour. “I love you so much Pete.”

She ran her fingers through his hair, he looked up at her, “I love you more.”

“Ready to see Harley now?” Tony asked.

“Yes please.”

Both parental figures nodded to each other and headed out the door, “Oh also, Ted and the other girl is here too.”

“Ned. What do you mean other girl?”

Tony rose his eyebrows, “You know, scary tall girl. Threatened the Avengers if you decided to bleed out and die. Claimed she would resurrect you from the dead then kill you “so hard” that you would wish you were dead.”

Peter’s eyes went wide, “My God. That’s MJ.”

The trio slowly piled in. Starting with Harley, then Ned, then MJ. If the bags under their eyes and the red ring that trace around them were enough to make Peter cry, then no one said anything.

Ned was the first to break. Because, well the cycle starts again. _He let his best friend almost die again_. “Peter! I was so worried! I’m sorry! I should have gone into the computer lab and hacked into Karen or something. I’m so so-”

“Ned if you even think about finishing that sentence, I will personally make it my mission to destroy your Legos. None of this was your fault. None of it, do you understand me?”

“…yes.”

MJ slowly stepped up. “I’m really pissed at you nerd. Once you’re done being stupid, I’m gonna strangle you with your damn mask. How dare you even think about dying dweeb. Seriously, how fucking more lame can you get?”

Peter smiled at her, “Yeah yeah…I care about you too MJ.” She tried to hide her smile by turning her cheek but of course the infamous Harley Keener caught her and see her cheeky smile. She flipped him off but thought it would be best if Harley and Peter talked alone. So, she pulled Ned back into the hallway.

It took approximately eight seconds before Harley broke. Full on broke. He apologized to Peter profusely, letting the tears stream down his face.

Harley Keener was not cry-er.

Except he was.

Harley Kenner did not know how to convey emotions. Except, he learned. He learned that in order to get rid of this hard ass exterior, he needed his brother to be shot three times before he could break.

“Harley? Can you shut the fuck up for one second?”  
…

“There was nothing, and I mean nothing, you could have done to prevent this. Don’t you fucking even think about blaming yourself Keener. This was on those hostiles. Not on you. Not on Tony. Not on no one except for whoever ordered that hit.”

Harley’s sobs turned into silent tears as he crawled into the bed with Peter. Eventually, they turned into sniffles. Peter, who had his head resting on Harley’s shoulder spoke up, “You know Mr. Stark has a smart TV in here?”

Harley turned his head to face his brother, “So…what you’re trying to tell me is that you want to watch Star Trek in secret? I know your secret Parker. You’ve never truly been a Star Wars fan.”

Peter only half-shrugged, half-smiled at the comment.

“FRIDAY? Play Star Trek please.”

Needless to say, Peter and Harley sleeping at each other’s sides would eventually become the lock screen of every Avenger.

**Author's Note:**

> 1) Signore, impediscimi di lanciare questi due bambini fuori dalla finestra! -- lord keep me from throwing these two children out the window!
> 
> 2) Escuela - school
> 
> ***  
> Once again, I hope you enjoyed this part of the series! Thank you so so much for all the support, it truly means the world. Please let me know what you think! All constructive criticism welcomed! I'm so so sorry for the long wait once again.  
> Tumblr: spideyyverse  
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS, THEY ALL BELONG TO MARVEL


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